#it IS both a positive AND negative game

[shimmershy]

Buttercups and Golden Flowers

#i drew this mostly because i noticed that a lot of people mistake buttercups and golden flowers as being the same thing. #so i wanted to try drawing them like. distinctly different in the same image. #it's not a big thing but i do think the fact that they're different has some significance. or at least like. symbolic meaning. #my art #undertale #chara #chara dreemurr #safeutdr #something about the fact that they both look similar at least in color but one of them is poisonous. #the way golden flowers are clearly a positive symbol throughout the game and clearly heavily associated with Chara. #contrasted with the very negative connotations buttercups have. with asgore getting sick and chara using them in their plan. #you never see buttercups in the game. which makes it even easier to mistake the two. because we've only seen one kind of #golden/yellow flower. who's to say 'golden flowers' aren't just referring to buttercups? well. #why would there be golden flower tea if they were poisonous? why would chara want to see the golden flowers from their village if they're #the same kind of flower? they clearly have buttercups in the underground. #it feels almost intentional the way golden flowers are so easily mistaken for buttercups. or at least that the difference is so subtle. #it goes well with the way they're associated so strongly with chara who's also a very subtle yet important part of the narrative. #from a surface-level perspective the flowers that took their life and the one's they actually like/are important to them are the same thing #but when you pay closer attention to the narrative you can see the different symbolic meanings. #well. uhh I've thought about it too much don't mind me. #see i think about it from the perspective of chara being super adamant about them being two different flowers #and frustrated when anybody gets it wrong. because clearly. CLEARLY they're not the same. #'STOP confusing buttercups and golden flowers. i literally used buttercups to kill myself do you think i would still like them after that?' #'do you think i want to be associated with them? they're not the same!!' #<number one golden flower enjoyer number one buttercup hater. #i need a badge that says 'i have strong opinions about chara dreemurr because i kin them. i apologize for the wall of text' at this rate.

[ganondoodle]

you know i think i had gotten kinda lucky finding so many great to ok totk reviews bc i went to search yesterday (my god is youtube shit at searches now man, i want to see stuff for what i searched for not 20 things other people watched) but there truly is some utter shit there

i went through some that boiled down to angry gamer mad about game (kinda glad really bc seeing someone that actually is like that it makes me feel less like im doing the same xD) one of which saying the only reason the building is in there is bc they were trying to copy ... FORTNITE??? and another ones big point was that .. the graphics and animations are the same which ... just sounds like one of those pokémon people angry that a new game doesnt redo every single model and animation for 400 NPCs

(also one with a one step away from porn thumbnail that later i saw someone else talk about and apparently og video was about zelda being ..... too ... woke ... actually made me a little curious bc what the fuck could possibly be woke in totk?? sonia having slightly darker skin????? but theres no way im giving someone like that views lol)

and a huge portion is videos making fun of bad reviews for totk ...... which i dont think i need to explain why thats not worth anyones time lol

i find it sad how hard it is to find more diverse kind of people making totk reviews since id love to hear someone that may understand and know more than i do talk about it, new perspective and all that (also since most reviews i found good are really taking everything at face value with no one really looking at how the whole hyrule kingdom vs evil desert man is kinda ... not cool) but then again i know how youtube can be and how extreme some hardcore totk defenders are so i probably wouldnt want to get into all that either :U

#ganondoodles talks #zelda #totk #kinda #i did find a few from poc but they largely didnt really end up saying anything and were more of what the game is #or the audio was actively hurting my ears #i know not everyone can afford good audio equipment but theres a limit to what i can listen too #:( #im gonna keep looking every now and then and update the big post when i do find soemthign thats at least fine #i know it might sound like im obsessed with this but its just kinda good to hear others talk about it #and it can point out stuff i didnt realize before either #both positive and negative

[memehayes]

writing my 10th essay to my friends on how frustrating it is to watch fans and hgs alike downplay and undermine the distress women face from being stuck around men who make them uncomfortable while simultaneously needing to retain those very men’s approval / favor for any number of valid personal and professional (ie game) reasons but not clicking send bc it’s 4am and their sweet unsuspecting selves don’t deserve to wake up to that

#bb25 #it’s mostly on twitter but god i’m so tired #the vilification of america for existing both as a gamer and a woman ends HERE ! #like take a fucking wgss course idk what to tell you anymore if you don’t get why cameron making her uncomfortable & wanting to work w/ him #are two things that can coexist esp given this specific house dynamic & america’s current place in it #not to mention ppl who still bring up her & izzy shirting on cam (prior to him ramping up his harassment) only for america to softly walk #it back when l8r speaking to cory (AFTER telling him he wouldn’t get it as a man mind u) as some sort of gotcha … like yea why wouldn’t #she walk it back negative things she said about cam to cory who at the time had a positive perception of cam? #cory is also a MAN in this house and this game #you don’t have to like america or appreciate that she is in opposition to your faves to not completely miss the bigger picture #and regurgitate misogynistic talking points that blame women for men’s poor behavior

[funkbun]

so im still working on my Tales of Snaktooth comic thing, and i've reached the coloring stage and im wondering with method of coloring would y'all prefer? (note: these two examples are big major wips, especially the fully colored one. A finished version of it may look similar to this)

Fulling coloring the comic would probably make the comic look more visually appealing, and i love messing around with colors n stuff. But it would take a lot more time for me to do it (I don't have any set schedule for this, but I'd like to be able to put these out somewhat consistently, also I frequently deal with pain that makes it difficult to draw stuff...booo).

A limited color palette would be a lot more easier and quicker to do, and I could also add more details/colors for more intense and dramatic scenes, which would be cool as hell. But it might make the pages look a bit plain, ig? And a lot of the characters have some pretty distinct markings, so I'd feel bad about not being able to include them most of the time.

#dont worry about Elass' eyes. she's just going through it #there's no neutral/both option sorry lol #i like both of these methods and they both have positives and negatives to em #also there's a chance that i may just change my mind and do something completely different. i dunnoooo #bug game

[rationalisms]

hi. i would just like to say that this is an attitude i've seen around increasingly often and i find it deeply baffling. like, genuinely could not relate any less to what is being expressed here.

personally, almost all media i'm obsessed with and talk about constantly is because i think it's good and i love talking about the ways in which it's good. yes, criticism can be fun and breed conversation, but so can positive critique. thoughtful, long-lasting engagement with a piece of media doesn't have to be negative. there are in fact ways for media to be good beyond "competent but generally unremarkable"?

and this is ymmv, but complaining about something is more the snack food of media criticism for me. it's fun and great in the moment and it absolutely is something i need to do regularly to feel normal. but i can't live off it. i need to experience genuine appreciation and esteem on a regular basis too, or i shrivel like a raisin. (expressed more seriously: the kind of critique i find actually nourishing in the sense that it allows me to refine what kind of art i would like to make, and what makes me tick as a human being, is the positive kind about media i love very much for being excellent.)

idk guys. is it just that i'm autistic and therefore discussing for the nth time why xyz rules never stops being entertaining? what am i missing here. maybe it's good when media is good?

#my best friend and i did a thing last year where over the course of several months we got wizard high every couple weekends #and attempted to replay a game together that we were both obsessed with when we were younger #and we were both already aware that it was an incredible piece of art #and we had countless conversations about that #so at the start we mainly treated it as a joke like 'haha lets see if we unlock any new diagnoses' etc #but the most wonderful part of that project was realizing progressively that there was in fact So Much to love we hadn't even realized yet #that this thing we adored as teens/young adults does in fact not only hold up but is even better than we were aware of at the time #and how much of a difference our additional life experience made and how many things we only realized on this playthrough together #and it's the most fun i've ever had analyzing a piece of media and taking it apart from top to bottom in my life #and almost all of that was entirely positive. like. we had negative stuff to say too ofc lol. but not nearly as much. #anyway #highly recommend doing this with your formative media of choice that a friend and you were both independently obsessed with #txt

[iero]

In other, good news (For once for me!) my mom and her boyfriend finally agreed to let me carpool with them when we all leave Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning. The bad news is I have to figure out a way that I'm getting to Pittsburgh now last minute because I'll be there longer then them.

#personal #Like I'm coming in on Saturday and they're only coming in on Monday afternoon for a hockey game and then leaving the next morning. #And if I didn't have a tattoo appointment on Monday AND already paid the hotel in full for all my days? #I would have considered just doing the one day myself. #So now I'm sitting here weighing my options. I can either fly in or take the train in... Both have their positives and negatives. #I fucking LOVE taking the train but I don't like the fact that it only puts me in Pitt at like 8 PM at night. #But if I fly in it puts me in Pitt at like 11 in the morning and I would have to find a way to kill 5-6 hours until my hotel check-in. #<- Not to mention I'm like super scared of flying still and it's supposed to be windy here on Saturday. #Which I'm assuming isn't good for planes. #I was just considering making a driving playlist this morning because I thought I was driving the 8 hours total there and back. #Not ANYMORE! Even though I did agree to get behind the wheel for a little bit on the trek back #<- Doubt I will have to though because my mom's boyfriend is like the 'big man' and will NOT let me drive his car.

[raiiny-bay]

oc deep dive questionnaire - dhes edition

tagged by @sikoi (ty you for the tag!! <3)

-what common/uncommon fear do they have? tbh, there's not much that scares Dhes. when he was younger, he feared rejection, but that fear has lessened significantly as he's gotten older & become more comfortable with himself

-do they have any pet peeves? he's pretty particular about housekeeping, so his biggest pet peeves tend to be related to that. but he especially hates when Kelly leaves his shoes lying around instead of putting them away (bc Dhes *always* trips over them lol)

-what are 3 items you can find in their bedroom? CDs (lots of CDs), a tamagotchi (he brings it to work. it never stays alive long), & notes that he & Kel wrote back & forth to each other during class throughout their teen years

-what do they notice first in a person? whether or not they look directly at him/look him in the eyes

-on a scale of 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance? probably 8 or 9

-do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? fight - Dhestyn's a fighter through & through

-do they come from a big family/are they a family person? his family is pretty average, size-wise. his family dynamic is very eccentric, so whether or not he's a "family person" is kind of a complicated answer. he's not particularly close with anyone in his immediate family, but he does talk to them & visit them often

-what animal represents them best? a dog - generally, he's very friendly & loyal, but in the right circumstances, he does tend to bite

-what is a smell that they dislike? burning meat

-have they broken any bones? if so, how? several, mostly his fingers & wrists though. he's broken them in skateboarding accidents, during fights with other kids when he was in middle/high school, & by simply making poor decisions due to his reckless nature :-)

-how would a stranger likely describe them? i actually kind of explained this on his character page, but to sum it up people tend to see Dhes as either very charming or very unsavory

-are they a night owl or a morning bird? both! Dhes has a horrific sleep schedule. he'll regularly stay up until 1-2am & he wakes up at 5 o'clock every morning. though if he had to choose one, he prefers mornings

-what is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love? he really likes cinnamon. he's not a big fan of seafood.

-do they have any hobbies? yes! skateboarding, hacky sack, making playlists & listening to music, working out (weights/jogging), fashion (read: "fashion"), & ruining his hair, to name a few.

-boom, surprise birthday party! how do they react to surprises? Dhestyn always appreciates a nice surprise

-do they like to wear jewelry? if so, what is their favorite piece? yes, the man loves to accessorize. his favorite piece of "jewelry" is actually a necklace Kel gave to him when they were fifteen - it's a simple black cord with one of Kel's old guitar picks on it.

-do they have neat or messy handwriting? somewhere in the middle - it's legible, at least.

-what are two emotions they feel the most? love & anger

-do they have a favorite fabric? not particularly, no

-what kind of accent do they have? standard PNW accent when speaking English, though occasionally he'll have hints of a more Mexican-American accent, which he picked up from his mom's side of the family

tagging: @mobwhim, @lynzishell, @vicciouxs, @teddybearsims, & @salemssimblr (feel free to ignore ofc!)

#tag game #dhestyn #myedits #been really into doodling on my edits lately. idk why. #i was going to keep my answers concise but then i thought. fuck it #today we ramble #regarding his fear of rejection: it hasn't gone away entirely. it just like. doesn't have a hold on him the way it used to yk #he still very much has that like. underlying fear that he doesn't belong anywhere. he just tries to ignore it #it was actually really hard to think of stuff dhes would keep in his bedroom that isn't obvious (like. a bed lol) #bc 1 - dhes keeps a really clean room & house #literally nothing is out of place #& 2 - the boys live in a studio apartment. so like. technically their couch is in their bedroom. & so is everything else they own #the emotion question was also really hard to answer bc dusty is an emotional guy #like........ everything he feels is x100 & it is very difficult to distinguish whether those feelings are positive or negative #bc his reactions to both are more or less the same lol #also i did use a font for his handwriting. i've been trying to find handwriting fonts for all my OCs but #i've only been able to find some for the boys #n e way. #that's all.

[kicktwine]

i could not care less about yotsuyu right now I liked her awful messy end ……

#play game #this sounds very negative #know that it is all lighthearted. Said unseriously . Sure I’ll see where this goes it’ll probably be interesting #xiv has a way of making everything interesting #she is just a lot of character archetypes I don’t prefer………. All in one person… and sometimes I like when tragic characters die #stormblood spoilers #ffxiv spoilers #LISTEN I JUST. you position two characters as foils and have us hang out with both of them but u let me hang out with the one I like better #FIRST…. I just want to go back and see how fordola is doing #AND!!!! I liked yotsuyus story as it was #it was neat. it made me feel a shrimp emotion. Why she still alive #I liked that she threw out everything for petty nasty reasons #nasty woman #/pos #I’m excited about gosetsu #also I think it’s a sign of great self awareness and also funny that lyse is literally like yo. Raubahn should be here. So he IS #you did put him there!! Gg I’m sad he won’tbe with nanamo but pipin will do great

[highoncatfood]

ohhhhh just finished raincode and im having a lot of complicated feelings. i feel like i need to write a looong long summary of my thoughts abt the game as a whole but as of rn i can say that in the end i did like it. even though i only sincerely became interested in it from chapter 4 on lol but anyway chapter 5 intrigued me so fucking much i finally felt like this is an actual well produced story. the epilogue broke me it made me so silly sad i cant help but think "aw. these r my little guys. i only wish for them to be happy." but yeah the game could use a few changes and improvements imo but its fine. i enjoy being into it

#gadanie #rain code #i hope i will be able to put my thoughts together and write a longer post abt the entirety of the game #cuz i have. SO many thoughts #both positive and negative #i have to add that being in the fandom definitely made me way more willing to keep being into raincode #idk how to explain it but i guess its just nice to be here and post raincode content #master detective archives: rain code #mdarc

[smolstarthief]

Ok, a hot take (I think): Making Mika and Sugimara Mementos targets wouldn't have worked for Ann and Haru's SLs because it would undermine their growth and the fact that they managed to solve their problems and dealt with those two on their own terms without supernatural help (Joker being their moral support helped as well).

(Now I DO wish we actually saw Sugimara facing consequences so perhaps a small rewrite would have worked (ex: Takakura maybe telling him that he found some evidence against him off screen when he decides to barge in to lash out at Haru and her standing up to him perhaps) but that's it. No Mementos, let Haru be the queen she already was and regain her autonomy that was stolen from her on HER terms)

#starchild rambles #persona 5 #p5 #persona 5 royal #p5r #now i was cooking a small oneshot featuring her and Zenkichi but yeah #the only time it was justified in an SL is Futaba and Sojiro's #as in a PT character going after a target themselves #(both instances being Futaba one for Kana and one for Sojiro aka two of the people she's close to) #and in the case of Sojiro there was actually a moment where it almost led to a negative outcome/solving nothing #tldr both of Futaba's cases showcased both a positive and an almost negative outcome #AND the reason Sojiro's ended up going back to ending on a positive note is BECAUSE Futaba decided to solve the problem HERSELF #aka she stood up for him and herself which ties into one of main themes of the game (standing up for yourself and others) #sorry for the rant I've just gotten tired of the revenge fics I've seen on occasion #just... *snatches ann haru and sumi away from toxic fans* you'll get them back when you all stop toxic generic girlbossing them

[antennatoheaven]

ok so we've established that its likely that kirby is a type of void, just made out of purely positive energy as opposed to rancid vibes. but it's also been hinted throughout the years that meta knight is the same species as kirby, so where does that leave him?

#ramblings #kirby #meta knight #if anyone has an actual explanation they'd like to share i'm all ears. i never hear people talk about mk in the whole void discussion #so far my explanations are that #a) kirby took the form of whatever meta knight may bc.... imprinting. i have no idea. maybe some sort of physical osmosis #b) they're both a type void. meta knight is just not purely positive or negative energy but a secret third thing #c) meta knight is an older type of void and kirby is so different from him bc they're still young and meta knight has like. #fully stabilized. which is why he cant (or doesnt) use copy abilities. kirby is young and easily changed by whatever they inhale #or e) meta knight and kirby look alike for no reason/it was an abandoned lore thing #which is why he doesnt have his cheek markings in the forgotten land :(((( #theory a makes zero sense bc they obviously didn't meet until the second game #but i have no idea how much theory c holds up with the actual canon. what is canon even amiright #anyway. we'll prolly never get an actual answer to this considering its never been brought up that they look alike in canon lol

[235uranium]

"3rd sem doesn't fit the theme of p5!" abuse of power and how to change society is quite literally the central theme of p5

#☢️.txt #3rd sem is more about the /philosophy/ behind improving society #but even og p5 ends on the idea that the thieves had a negative effect bc they caused the public to become apathetic #yeah yeah yaldy interfered but the whole point was the game was rigged against humanity #either humanity is apathetic to change (joker) or humanity cannot change (akechi) #there was never a good end! they were both set up so nothing they did would be a lasting net positive #the good end is the refusal to participate! its killing god and letting humanity choose its fate! #and maruki is trying to save humanity at the cost of that freedom #the only difference between yaldy and maruki is the intent. theyre both locking away peoples choices and making it themselves

[1pcii]

thinking about younger 124ji as years of this kind of unchecked thinking and behaviour, mixed with their unnatural lack of empathy bringing them to the cartoonist extremes they display in canon.

#cw for strangulation and child death for the video clip #I've been thinking alot about the vinsmokes and Eva parallels lately #how similar yet opposite gendou and judge are #gendou doing everything for the sake/memory of his wife at the expense of humanity. judge doing everything for germa at the expence of #his wife/family #yet they both end up hurting and augmenting unatural circumstances for their children in very similar ways #they are but liabilities. sacrifices. pawns in a game they would kill themselves trying to win. cast out and abused for 'failing' #I find rei parallels especially interesting. she's a very underappreciated character already imo. and it's easy to make the shinji/sanji #connection #but Rei has so many layers to her that can be akin to the vinsmoke siblings #she is like reiju in that she does have emotion but her subservient position under judge(/gendou) means that it means very little in the #grand scheme of things #and yet she can't help but to /feel/ when around sanji(/shinji). a testimony of the love of her late mother #she is also similar to 124ji in that she is replaceable. always at risk of the technology that brought her into the world as she is #she has been molded into the perfect soldier via gendou's emotional manipulation and as such only expresses what is necessary for her #position. only parrots back what he exposes her to. unaware of it's weight or ramifications on other people #124ji I'd say have that to an extream in that violence and malice are actively encouraged in their minds by the fact they do seem to be #able to express /negative/ emotions #which naturally lead them to growing into the abusive assholes they are today #but it's sad yknow? that they never had the chance to be anything else #psii.txt #psii.mp4 #text #meta #vinsmoke siblings #vinsmoke ichiji #vinsmoke niji #vinsmoke yonji #124ji

[mantisgodsdomain]

OK we're done talking about spoilers now. Mad Rat Dead is fun because it's in the category of "things that, despite giving little to no indication on the cover that a specific subject is even present, handled it significantly better than a piece of media that specifically markets itself on Handling That One Subject". Despite not really marketing itself on the inevitability of death and figuring out how to live a life that you're happy to die with, it still works a damn good story on those terms, and you probably wouldn't guess just how well it works with those themes by initial presentation. Also, the soundtrack slaps.

#we speak #MRD and Spiritfarer are a lot more adjacent to each other theme-wise than you would really guess from the covers #also it stands out to us because we have another indie game that specifically marketed itself as being About Death And Death Positivity #and then fell flat on its face in the presentation and handling of those themes to the point that the whole game felt flat #MRD handling the same general themes with both more skill and more. tact? subtlety? really just sort of hammered it home #we've got stronger negativity bias than average so it Does help with memorability to be able to compare with something that sucks #MRD is very bold and up-front with its themes and it uses a relatively simple narrative structure to hammer things home #it doesn't get entirely into the complexities because that's not the sort of story it is #it's simple and snappy and confident with its premise and its writing #it knows what it's about and it doesn't see the point in beating about the bush #you don't come to MRD for an extended conversation you come to MRD for a fun story that is incredibly unapologetic about being itself #it is what it is. it wouldn't really fit in any other form. and being exactly itself is all that can really be asked of it #if you're looking for extended story and discussion and like. exploring this sort of inevitable death and closure in different forms #then spiritfarer is definitely the way to go #which is another game we will very much recommend #though there are parts of MRD that would be fun to explore they wouldn't fit with the story told #the lack of addressing them is not a flaw but merely a fact of what is being told #and exploring them extracanonically is merely giving the chance to tell a different story

[girlbob-boypants]

I use my likes as a bookmark function so I like personal posts to show people support and then unlike said posts a few days later so that's the context otherwise this might come off as more random. anyways. thinking of what you've said about toxic positivity and I have to say being in those circles, it does also get to the point where it feels like you cant even talk about the things you do like and why, because the mentality of just of "if you dont have the same views 1:1 to me then it's a personal attack" so it's more of a personal anecdote but those spaces are severely allergic to any serious discussion even if its positive criticism and analysis lmao

Listen I've got ADHD. "This might seem random but" is about how I start 90% of tangents.

As for the actual discussion, 500% yeah. While I mostly rant about toxic positivity cause it's most of what I deal with, toxic negativity can be just as prevalent. It's the main reason I even mentioned reddit in the tags of the post I think you're talking about. When the changes for the daily system in my current mmo came out, anyone who talked about the good things got accused of "forcing positivity" for the act of not making yet another post about how awful the bad parts of the system were (which they were but also the good parts were just as good as the had parts were bad. Its a fascinating duality)

But honestly go onto any internet connected multiplayer game reddit after a change and you'll see what I'm talking about. Criticism skews towards hateful and positivity is accused of being forced.

I just find that small fandoms within tumblr tend towards being very insular groups that expect positivity. Like to the point where someone in my main mmo apologized for saying "hey do not buy this because charging $20+ for this is downright predatory" because it was "negativity." The act of letting people know a business is trying to steal money with a pretty cosmetic you'll never see for more than 3 seconds at a time being considered negativity in a fandom is insane to me, frankly.

Which if I wanted to argue a cause with nothing but anecdotes, I'd say it likely comes from the way criticism of big name fans within small fandoms will often be met with a response of "Ugh I don't need this negativity in my happy place" regardless of the context or validity.

At the same time tho I 100% know what you mean by pushback against positive criticism even within those same spaces that I find toxic positivity to be prevalent in. Just look at the fact that "im a hater" posts get so many notes. No post about a personal belief can be rb'd on tumblr without easily influenced people altering their personas to fit it here (see: the way funny bitchy posts between friends getting popular and resulting in being rude to strangers). Saying you like something thats (fandom) universally accepted to be bad can be grounds for mockery etc.

At the end of the day it does boil down to what you said at the end, people hate any serious discussion of their favorite media, regardless of whether it's positive or negative. And any variance from the (perceived) fandom universal belief will result in pushback of some kind.

#girlbob.txt #im guessing this comes in no small part from your dealings in om spaces from what i remember of your favorite character and how he's treate #which i 500% get #searching the braham tag is just not a thing i do cause to this day people still say rotten things #and liking him is considered a personal flaw #but even beyond that just liking something that gets dunked on can be considered 'Forced Positivity' #which like. putting that term on the top shelf #anyway long answer to a short statement sorry #i do get what you mean i just tend to bang on toxic positivity more cause i face it in the small fandoms i don't belong to #but share a media with #like the time i said it's suspicious that both of the games DE has a hand in had really predatory mtx around the same time #and someone told me to go to reddit #which fuck that bootlicker first of all but the fact that was considered negative enough for that response lmfao #and god the mmos i like #i redacted this segment i've said so much already

[tanadrin]

okay final DA2 thoughts: for all that it’s a game about power, and using ideology to justify power, and also runs up against the theme in many places of people becoming what you expect them to be--that is, if you treat people like brutes, they become brutal--it doesn’t really address these themes in a satisfying way. it doesn’t quite have the thematic unity of purpose that would take it from a good RPG to a great RPG.

but it is a good RPG. moving from a roving-all-over-Ferelden story to a exploring a single city over the course of three acts in six years is a great decision! the game is neither padded to be overly long, nor too short, though act 3 does feel a tad rushed due to its development history, i think. the cast of characters is all pretty good, and it feels related to its predecessor in satisfying ways while also still being its own story. it doesn’t suffer from middle-of-the-trilogy syndrome that a lot of narratives do when a one-off story gets expanded, and i think the distinct protagonists and structures of each DA game help with this a lot.

it’s also a step in the right direction in terms of better art direction; DA:I has, i think, absolutely amazing interstitial and secondary art, plus the game itself looks very nice (although a bit in that bland high realist style that all triple-A games must now conform to). DA:I also has some sick music. the combat is more fun that DA:O, though not as fun as DA:I (if i remember, it’s been a while since i played that one). inventory management is somehow even worse. the DLC missions that came with the pack that was on sale kind of suck balls--they don’t fit into the narrative of the base game at all, and feel very tacked on--but i always feel that dlc in bioware games is unsatisfying, and normally i don’t go out of my way to acquire it. so i’m not really disappointed by that, it’s just sort of meh.

on my "RPGs in my Steam library” ranking list i’d put it ahead of DA:O, FO4, DX:HR, and ME1, but behind the original DX, FO:NV, DA:I, and Skyrim.

#dragon age 2 #dragon age #reading about the game's critical reception at launch #is really interesting #bc people seemed to hate things about the game that were entirely irrelevant to me #in both a positive and negative direction